The present inventive concept relates to semiconductor device packages. More particularly, the inventive concept relates to a system on package (SoP) and to an electronic system including the same.
A system on chip (SoC) is a single chip (die) whose integrated circuit (IC), in general, performs all the functions of a particular application. A system-in-package (SiP), on the other hand, comprises dies containing integrated circuits that are stacked vertically and, in general, perform all of the functions of an electronic system. Although SoCs and SiPs may in some instances be considered alternatives, there is an example of a system-in-package (SiP) in which a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) chip is stacked on a system on chip (SoC). In this example of an SiP, the most common approach to electrically connecting the DRAM chip and the SoC is providing through-silicon-vias (TSVs) in the SoC, providing micro bumps in the DRAM chip, and connecting the TSVs and the micro bumps. The resulting device, which is cost-effective to manufacture in this way, may be referred to as an SoC-DRAM TSV-SiP.
However, if several DRAM chips are required due to a demand for a high memory capacity, the plurality of DRAM chips are stacked on each other and electrically connected using TSVs. In this case, the manufacturing cost of the SiP may become rather high to the point of being cost-prohibitive. In order to reign in the manufacturing costs, the manufacturer may provide the topmost DRAM chip with micro bumps instead of TSVs, i.e., may form TSVs only in the DRAM chip or chips electrically connected to the topmost DRAM chip. However, the manufacturer must develop and manufacture two types of DRAM chips to employ this technique. Thus additional development costs are incurred and it may be inefficient to manufacture and package two different types of DRAM chips.